Goodbye To A World
by littlemisslibrarian
Summary: After the battle to save all realities, Lance has been having strange dreams. Allura is still alive, and she's in trouble. The Paladins must unite in one last mission to bring their friend home. But something is wrong with the Lions, and the once-strong bond between the Paladins is strained. Is this the end of Voltron?
1. Chapter 1

Lance opened his eyes to a vast purple starscape. He marveled at how many stars he could see, and how they reflected off the surface he was standing on. Then, once the disorientation faded, he saw an achingly familiar faint outline in front of him.

"Lance," she called out. Though she shouted, her voice was barely louder than a whisper, as if she was miles away.

"Allura," Lance breathed, taking a step closer. Of course he was dreaming. Allura was dead. She'd sacrificed her life to save all realities. Still, maybe he could hold on to the dream for a little…

His eyes flew open and he stared up at the glow in the dark stars on his ceiling. They had faded a while ago. The sun was peeking grayly through the blinds, having just woken up.

Lance sat up and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. Then he stumbled over to the bathroom and splashed cold water on his face. He could almost forget that he had Altean markings now, until he looked in the mirror. He didn't know if he would ever get used to the sight, and it sent a fresh pang of loss through his heart.

"Lance!" Allura called out faintly.

Lance yelped and staggered back, nearly tripping over his slippered feet.

"Where are you? What's going on?" He spun around, searching for a glimpse of a familiar face, but he was alone in a sterile white bathroom, with only his stunned reflection.

"This isn't the first time I've heard your voice," Lance realized, remembering the nights when he woke to hear her calling out his name. "You're trying to tell me something. I know it. I'm not crazy."

He paused when he realized he was talking to himself.

"Okay, I might be a little crazy. But I'm not wrong. What are you trying to tell me?"

"I don't have much time. You need to…"

Her voice faded away until he couldn't hear her.

"What do I need to do? Why are you showing up now?" But his voice only echoed off the cold, unfeeling tiles.

"I'm calling the other Paladins. We'll figure this out."

Later that day, the sun was halfway towards noon. In a nearby park, the Paladins sat in a circle around a picnic table. The park was right in the middle of where all of them lived, so it was a frequent meeting place, though it was becoming less frequent as time went on and lives got busy.

The breeze was warm and the leafy canopy above them dappled the sunlight. If it were a more casual occasion, Lance would listen to the birdsong and the chatter of the nearby fountain.

"This better be good," said Pidge. "I'm close to a breakthrough on this new robot."

The former Paladins looked at Lance expectantly. He cleared his throat to dispel a sudden nervousness.

"I… uh… this is gonna sound bad, but I've been having strange dreams lately. About Allura. She calls my name, and today she told me I need to do something, but she faded away before she could say what I needed to do. And I've been hearing her voice even when I'm awake."

There was a long silence.

Keith took a deep breath and leaned forward, eyes wide with concern. "Lance, you're…"

Lance looked away. He couldn't stand the pitying look on his friend's face. "Crazy? Schizo? Delusional?" he muttered.

"Grieving," Keith said firmly. "We all are. You're not alone in this. But you have to realize that Allura is gone and she's not coming back."

Pidge nodded. "I'm with Keith on this one. I'm not saying you're crazy, but you obviously need more help than what you've been getting."

Hunk studied Lance. "Are you still seeing that therapist?"

 _Et tu, Hunk?_

"Yes, I am. And I've been taking medication. What I saw, what I heard, it was _real._ When Allura gave me these markings – " Lance gestured at his face "- she also formed a connection of some kind. She needs our help."

"I want to believe that," Hunk said. "Not that she's in trouble, but that she's still out there. Maybe… maybe it's possible. But… I don't know. Shiro? Coran? What do you guys think?"

All eyes turned to the two oldest members of the group, who had been silent and pensive until this point. Coran was the first to speak up.

"I'm not just saying this because Allura is like a daughter to me, but Lance might not actually be delusional. Potentially."

"Uh… thanks?" Lance said, raising an eyebrow.

Coran continued. "I've never seen an Altean give a non-Altean markings like Allura did, but she's always been a gifted alchemist. It's possible she's found some way to do what Lance suggested: form a connection in order to communicate with us."

Shiro nodded. "I've been in the astral plane for months. There definitely are ways to connect to the physical world. It's extremely difficult, but not impossible, especially for someone with Allura's skill and knowledge."

"You both have a point," Keith said. "I'm still not sure if we should completely trust a dream, though. We have lives now. We can't drop everything and go on a wild goose chase."

"Yeah," Pidge added. "Maybe Allura did manage to contact Lance. It's not just possible, it's probable. But what are we supposed to do about it? We don't even know what she needs us for."

"There has to be a way," Lance said, his voice cracking. "We can't abandon her."

"We won't," said Coran, standing up. "I think I know a way to contact her. We must go back to Oriande."

Pidge leaned forward on her elbows. "Yes, that could work! The White Lion is gone but it still has a huge amount of magical energy!"

Lance felt a spark of hope flicker in his chest, but he didn't dare let it take hold. "It will be a long journey. You guys don't have to come."

Hunk clapped a hand on Lance's shoulder. "Are you kidding? We may not be Paladins anymore but we're still a team! We're going!"

Lance couldn't help but return Hunk's wide smile. He stood up, feeling newfound energy surge through him.

"I'm going too," said Keith, rising to his feet. "There's no way I'm leaving a friend behind."

"Count me in," Pidge said as she leaped off the bench. "I can pull some strings at the Garrison. Now that things have settled down, Atlas should be available."

Shiro got up with some effort. Though weariness lined his eyes, he smiled at his friends. "Alright. Let's do this, Paladins."


	2. Chapter 2

Some time later, the Atlas set sail with a crew consisting of the Paladins and a combination of humans, Alteans, and a few Blade of Marmora members. Krolia had taken over Keith's duties while he was away. Shiro had said his goodbyes to his husband. Pidge put her robotics project on hold. Hunk managed to schedule some time off from his ambassador job. Lance's family promised to look after the farm while he was gone.

On the bridge of the Atlas, Lance looked out at the vast expanse of stars.

"Strange to be on the bridge of a ship again," he said.

"Yeah," Shiro replied. "Really… strange."

"The good thing," Keith added, "is that we're not going into battle this time. This is a rescue mission. We shouldn't run into any enemies."

Hunk gulped. "I hope not. My combat skills are really rusty."

Pidge looked up from the screens she was studying. "Maybe we should do some training just in case. We can't afford to be out of practice if we do run into something." She glanced at Hunk, who was becoming increasingly anxious, and added, "Not that I think it's a possibility. Things are really calm and should stay that way for a while, thanks in part to your efforts, Hunk."

Hunk smiled in response.

Shiro nodded. "Let's hope for the best but prepare for the worst. I'll schedule a training regime for each of us."

Lance groaned good-naturedly.

"Hey," Shiro said with a smile, "this was your idea! You don't get to complain!"

In the training room, the Paladins busied themselves with simulations and exercises. Lance and Hunk stood side by side, challenging each other in target practice. Lance was winning by a landslide, taking down targets as soon as they appeared. Hunk, meanwhile, while he hit most targets, was not able to match Lance's precision or speed. Several unhit targets hovered in front of him.

"The sharpshooter is back," Hunk noted with a small smile.

"That or he never left," Lance mused. "Even on the farm I sometimes shoot clay pigeons."

Hunk lowered his gun. "I think that's enough target practice for the day." He grinned. "I'm starting to see double."

Lance nodded. "Yeah, I'll call it a day too." They lingered for a moment, watching the other Paladins finish their training.

Keith was swinging his sword as if it was an extension of his arm, completely at ease. He danced around the virtual battlefield and cut through the holograms, which sparked and dissolved, leaving him alone and undefeated.

Pidge ducked behind cover as a spray of virtual gunfire streaked above her head. She peeked her head over the barrier and blasted three enemies in a row, all headshots. The simulation ended and she stood up, brushing dust off her uniform casually.

Shiro used his robot arm to throw the holographic enemy into the wall. It slumped to the ground and disappeared. He examined the arm with satisfaction.

Hunk turned on his heel and left. Lance stared after him in confusion. Nothing ever fazed Hunk. What was his problem today?

Keith left the training room and made his way to the kitchen. Pidge, despite her short stature, matched his pace.

"How are things going with the Blade?" she asked. "I've been wrapped up in my projects and I haven't heard much about the world beyond Earth."

"The transition is a little difficult, to be honest," Keith admitted. "We've been at war for so long… most of the Galra don't know what it's like to live in peacetime. They're kind of left without a purpose." He shrugged. "The humanitarian work is enough for most, but there are some who are restless. Nothing satisfies them." He paused, then added, "I kind of understand where they're coming from, though."

Pidge tilted her head. "You too, huh? That's why I've been throwing myself into all these projects. I've always been interested in technology of course, but I learned so much when I was a Paladin…" she gestured vaguely. "I'm still processing it all. Especially biomimicry. That's been my special interest lately. I can't just settle down like Lance or Shiro."

Keith sighed, looking straight ahead. "I don't know how they do it. Maybe their minds work differently than normal, or maybe ours do."

Pidge snorted. "Mine definitely does."

"What?"

Pidge rolled her eyes. "Autism. I've told you before that I'm on the spectrum." She smirked. "Maybe you are too."

Keith wasn't sure how to respond, so he shrugged.

Shiro stared out the window at the stars. He heard footsteps behind him and turned around.

Coran stepped forward and stood beside him.

"I was examining the Atlas's schematics, and there's definitely a way to create wormholes, but it won't be as safe or efficient as the Teludav."

"I knew you could do it," Shiro said with a smile.

Coran twirled his moustache with pride. "Well, I knew I could too."

Shiro thought for a moment, then said, "I don't suppose there's any way to send messages back to Earth in a decent amount of time?"

Coran shook his head.

Shiro returned his gaze to the stars. They were so far away that they were reduced to tiny pinpoints of light. He couldn't even see Earth anymore. It gave him a strange feeling of vertigo.

What if he came back and Curtis was gone, like Adam was?

 _Don't be ridiculous. The Galra are no longer a threat, and there haven't been any new threats. Earth is perfectly safe._

Still, now that Earth was out of sight, old anxieties resurfaced.

"I never thought I'd be back here," Shiro admitted.

"You and me both," Coran agreed. "Allura will be so surprised!" He grinned, and Shiro guessed that he was imagining the happy reunion.

It was then that he realized that Coran had never gotten a chance to say goodbye. Allura was basically his daughter, after her father had died and she was left in Coran's care. He'd helped Alfor raise her, and yet he couldn't say goodbye when she walked into the unknown, never to be seen again. He had to watch in silence.

 _Maybe that's why he's been unusually sober._


	3. Chapter 3

There was no day or night in space, but the Atlas operated on a 24 Earth hour schedule anyway. So a day had passed. Lance tried to talk to Hunk a few times, but his friend seemed to be deliberately avoiding him, and everyone for that matter. When he was forced into conversation, he seemed cheerful enough, but something was off.

Lance met up with Keith on the bridge one day and asked him if Hunk had told him anything.

"Sadly, no," Keith said. "It's strange. I've never seen him act like this."

"I wonder if he's sick or something."

"If something was seriously wrong, he'd tell us. Speaking of, have you heard anything else from Allura?"

"Radio silence," Lance said. "Occasionally I'll think I hear her call out, but sometimes it's hard to tell if I imagined it."

"I'm sorry I didn't believe you before," Keith said. "After what happened with Shiro, I should have been the last person to be skeptical."

Lance blinked in surprise. "It-it's okay. I understand. I wouldn't believe me either." He saw that Keith was thinking about something, but decided not to ask in case it was too personal. "It sucks that reception in the astral plane is so bad," he said, trying to lighten the mood.

Keith half smiled. "Maybe it's your thick skull that's the problem."

Pidge growled in frustration at the code on the screen. She glared at the rubber duck perched next to her keyboard as if it was the cause of the problem.

A voice behind her said "maybe you should try-" then stopped when she yelped and spun around, nearly tipping out of her chair.

She laughed when she saw it was Hunk. "I thought you were the rubber duck!"

Hunk grinned, picking up the toy and giving it a squeak. He bobbed it up and down as he spoke: "You could get the job done a lot more efficiently. I'll show you."

Pidge snorted. "What are you, twelve?"

She rolled the chair to the side and Hunk set the rubber duck down and stood next to her, fixing the code. The rubber duck watched from its perch, judging.

The trip already felt nostalgic, and now the feeling hit him full force.

"Why don't we hang out more often?" he asked.

"Well, we're both busy," Pidge pointed out. "Not that I don't want to hang out, but I wear a lot of hats at the Garrison. And you're an ambassador chef. You're always travelling."

"Sorry. Just feeling sentimental."

Pidge scanned the newly fixed code. "Huh. You were right. That's much more efficient." She glanced at him and winced, and Hunk knew that his hurt feelings showed on his face.

"Sorry," Pidge amended. "I didn't mean to cut you off like that. This code has just been driving me crazy. But I know what you mean." She pushed away from the desk, turning to face Hunk. "I forgot how fun it is to be around you guys. I guess I miss being a Paladin more than I thought."

"Well, the constant threat of death wasn't fun," Hunk added.

"Yeah, but we had a lot of good times." Pidge looked off somewhere in the distance, lost in some train of thought Hunk couldn't begin to keep up with.

The silence prompted Hunk to admit what he was thinking. "You and the others seem to have bounced back really quickly. All your training came back to you like _that._ " Hunk snapped his fingers. "I'm… not having that kind of luck."

"It'll come back to you," Pidge assured him.

Hunk smiled, hoping Pidge didn't notice how fake the smile was. He didn't believe her, but he didn't want to upset her. "I better start making dinner. See you later. Good luck with the programming!"

As Hunk was heading to the kitchen, he ran into Romelle. She wrapped him in a shockingly tight hug. He suddenly remembered that even though she looked stick-thin, she was an Altean, and their strength far exceeded humans'.

He returned the hug and they finally broke apart.

"It's been a while," she said. "I hear you got an important job after you left Voltron!"

"Yeah," Hunk said, letting his chest swell with pride. "I'm an ambassador-chef. I use the power of food to bring nations and entire planets together!"

"That's wonderful," Romelle said. "I'm happy to be a part of the Garrison with the other Alteans. It feels great to be with my own people again without worrying about…" she trailed off.

"I'm glad to hear that, and I'm glad you're here," Hunk replied. "My job has kept me away from home for so long, I'm always out of the loop." His smile faltered. "I'd love to stand around and chat, but I really do have to help get dinner ready. Certain people around here get really hangry. I'm not naming names but it's Keith."

Romelle laughed. "Okay, see you around!"

Hunk basked in the warmth of the ovens as he put the food inside. It was a combination of human and Altean food. A wide variety, including vegetarian options and some allergy-friendly variations for the crew members who needed them. It was a challenge that he appreciated, because it meant he had to focus on the food and not his own thoughts.

He felt a flicker of satisfaction as he admired his perfectly cooked creations, but doubt still prowled the edges of his mind. Why did he decide to go on this mission? This was what he was meant to be doing. He felt more complete when he was cooking than when he was doing anything else.

He shook his head slightly. He was doing this for Allura. Possibly for the world or the universe, but mostly because a friend needed help. Besides, his job would be there when he got back. Everyone else seemed happy to be back. He wasn't about to bring them all down with his unimportant problems.

Hunk stepped out of the kitchen into the dining area with a cart of food, nearly running into Shiro, who dodged out of the way.

"Hey, I should have your license revoked for that," Shiro teased.

"Sorry." Hunk walked past him, not meeting his eyes.

"What's wrong," Shiro asked, matching Hunk's pace. It was a question, but he said it as if it were a statement.

"Nothing. Just, uh, a little sick. Nothing contagious. The food is safe." Hunk halfheartedly laughed and started setting out food. Normally it was served cafeteria style on the Atlas, but he liked to arrange a more traditional dinner whenever he could.

Shiro helped him set the tables. "You shouldn't wear yourself out if you're sick. We're gonna need all hands on deck tomorrow when we open the wormhole."

"Really, it's nothing. If it was serious I would tell you."

"I can't force you to talk to me but you've been antisocial lately, and that's not like you."

The words were out of Hunk's mouth before his brain could stop them: "I'm not a clone, okay?"

Shiro dropped the plate he was carrying and it landed on the table with a loud clatter. Hunk covered his mouth with his hand.

"That's not what I was implying," Shiro said, keeping his voice even. "If you're not ready to talk now, fine. But whatever issue you have, you need to get it sorted out soon. We can't have the team falling apart. Allura is counting on us."


	4. Chapter 4

Dinner was awkwardly silent. Shiro and Pidge did most of the talking. They were always able to pick right back up where they left off. But Hunk barely said anything, choosing to spend most of his time eating. Keith was quiet as well. Lance chimed in to Shiro and Pidge's conversation sometimes, but otherwise just ate his meal and then left without even asking for seconds.

The next day, everyone stood in their positions on the bridge. Shiro stood in the center of the room next to Coran. Lance stood near a wall next to Keith. Hunk stood a bit behind Keith and Lance. Across the room, Pidge sat at a control panel.

Coran's hand hovered over the button that would activate the teleporter. "Now, I'm a bit rusty and so is this ship, so in my attempts to update it, something might have gone wrong. This might be a bumpy ride, so strap in."

"With what?" Keith looked around at the bridge. There was not a seatbelt in sight.

"Yeah, this has to be some sort of safety code violation," Pidge muttered.

"You know what I mean," said Coran. With a dramatic flourish, he pushed the button.

The ship lurched into action, sending Pidge flying out of her chair. Hunk landed hard on his tailbone. Keith and Lance stumbled to the ground, and Shiro braced himself against the control panel while Coran flailed for balance. Screams and shouts echoed off the metal walls as the rest of the crew faced similar problems.

The shaking grew more intense. Lance had a hard time focusing his eyes on anything. Everything jostled around him until he started to feel sick.

Not helping was the sound of Hunk throwing up behind him.

Lance thought there was no way the turbulence could get worse, but it kept proving him wrong. He could barely stay on all fours, let alone stand up.

Coran's shaky voice shouted out, "Pidge! Ship integrity!"

Pidge groaned with the effort of pulling herself up.

"I can barely read it, but the display isn't red! That's a good sign!"

"Great!"

"Wait, no, now it's red."

"Oh, quiznak, we're all gonna die!"

The screaming intensified. Lance glared daggers in Coran's direction and saw Keith and Shiro do the same.

Debris started breaking loose. A large piece of metal flew toward Keith. Lance lunged forward, tackling Keith. Pain shot through his head, then everything went black.

When he came to, his head throbbed. Keith was hovering over him, forehead creased with worry.

"Keith, either kiss me or let me sit up but stop leaning over me like that."

Keith turned bright red and sat back, letting Lance sit up. He realized that the others were sitting or crouching around him.

 _I'd appreciate you not hitting on other people while your_ girlfriend _is psychically linked to you._

Lance froze. "Oops. Allura's back, guys."

"Oooohhhh," said Pidge. "Bad timing."

Lance felt the back of his head where the metal had hit. There was a bandage wrapped around it.

"How long was I out? My head hurts."

 _Yes it does. I feel it too._ _At least the link works again._

Shiro leaned forward and examined Lance's face closely. "I'm not surprised. Your head was bleeding pretty badly. It scared us all. You've only been out for a few minutes though."

Pidge spoke up next. "We crash landed onto Oriande."

Lance held up his hands. "Wait, what? It worked?"

Coran crossed his arms and puffed out his chest. "Well of course it did! I always knew I could do it!"

Pidge glared at him. "Weren't you just screaming about how we were all gonna die?"

Coran's face turned red and he looked away. "No, that was somebody else. Probably Hunk."

"Hey!"

Lance, hoping to interrupt a potential argument, said "So we're, what, in another dimension now?"

Pidge tilted her head. "Yeah, pretty much. I never would have thought it was possible to access Oriande after the white hole closed. Well, I guess it's _barely_ possible. The ship still took heavy damage. Kind of reminds me of the first time we tried to reach this place..."

In his head, he heard Allura sigh sadly. Her sadness seemed to seep into him as he remembered the White Lion's death at the hands of Honerva. The ancient guardian of the temple had been used as a source of energy for her reality-ripping mech. It wasn't there to guard the entrance anymore. He hung his head. Then he took a deep breath and looked up again. "Alright. Let's go. We can't waste time."

Keith held his hands out as if he was expecting Lance to stumble. When that didn't happen, he crossed his arms and glanced away. "Thanks, by the way. Even though it was stupid, you did try to save me."

"Well, I wasn't _trying_ to take the hit for you. But if one of us was going to get hurt, I'd rather it be the simple farmer than the leader of the Galra."

Keith suddenly whipped his head around and glared at Lance, taking an aggressive step forward.

"Don't do that, okay? We wouldn't be out here if it wasn't for you and your connection with Allura, and you still insist on saying you're unimportant. I'm sick of it!"

Lance winced at Keith's raised voice. "My idea could have gotten us all killed! We still don't know if all this was even worth it!"

 _Please stop!_

Shiro pushed himself between Keith and Lance. "That's enough. Keith, don't yell. You know better."

Keith scowled, but said nothing.

"And Lance, we don't do self-sacrifice. Got it? Never. _All_ of us are important."

Heavy silence hung over everyone. Lance took a shaky breath. Shiro seemed to be lost in his own thoughts. Keith looked at the ground guiltily.

"I'm sorry," said Lance. "I guess… I've always felt kind of responsible for everything that's happened to us since we left Earth for the first time. If I hadn't rushed into things without thinking and dragged you all along with me, we would all be living normal lives."

Shiro put a hand on Lance's shoulder. "We'd all be slaves to the Galra empire, along with the rest of the universe."

"They wouldn't take me alive," said Keith.

"Slaves or dead," Shiro amended.

Lance smiled gratefully at Shiro. "Okay. Let's do this."

The team along with Romelle and a few other Alteans entered the temple. Lance felt both uneasy and at peace. He wondered how much of that feeling came from Allura, or how much of his sadness was hers as well. The silence was strange. He got the feeling that there was life here once, but now it was an empty husk. There was still a hum of magical energy in the air, but it was a fraction of what it once was.

The Alteans clustered together, staring around with wonder, apprehension, and sadness. Romelle leaned into Hunk, who wrapped his arm around her.

"This is one of the most important sites in all of Altea, and we thought it was lost forever. It might still be. Most of the magic in it is gone. It's in ruins."

Their footsteps echoed off massive hallways. Lance felt small, like an unwanted bug waiting to be crushed by the statues they walked past. But the statues didn't move.

The hallway ended in a large round room. Lance paused, expecting something to happen, and he heard his friends drawing their weapons. Then his eyes rested on the only point of light in the room: a platform that reminded him of the Teludav on the Castle of Lions. He walked closer, feeling simultaneously like he was trespassing and coming home. Then he put his hands on the glowing columns and closed his eyes, imagining the astral plane, Allura's face, the temple, hoping one of those images would activate the strange device. Although he couldn't see it, he felt heat on his face as the Altean markings glowed.

 _Allura, you're gonna have to help me out here. I don't know how this thing-_

"Open your eyes."

Hearing her voice, actually hearing it with his ears, was like feeling rain after a drought. He couldn't stop the tears that rolled down his face. He opened his eyes to blinding white light and waited for them to adjust.


	5. Chapter 5

Lance blinked hard as his eyes focused. He was standing on a glowing white expanse with a bright blue… sky? Something like a sky hung over his head. Most importantly, he saw Allura.

He stared at her translucent face. Though she looked exactly the way she did the last time he saw her, there was a weariness to her posture and voice that made his heart ache. She smiled at him, but tears sparkled in the corners of her eyes.

He knew better, but he still stepped forward and reached out his arms as if he could hold her. His arms went right through her as if she wasn't even there, but she instinctively reached for him as well. Her hand brushed through his face and a tear spilled down her cheek.

"It's so good to see you again face to face," she said.

"Yeah," Lance said, "you too. I thought you'd become, I don't know, part of the universe or something."

"Honestly, I didn't know what would happen. At the time, it felt like the right thing to do. But I was wrong. I think I might have made things worse."

"What are you talking about? What's going on?"

"The White Lion's disappearance has left reality vulnerable. I thought sacrificing myself would be enough to restore balance, but it wasn't. Reality is still in a precarious place. One wrong move and everything could shatter. There are still dark forces at work."

A million questions ran through Lance's mind as he stood there, unable to form words to express his confusion.

Allura continued. "It's the _Lions._ They're the missing piece. With their combined quintessence, it could be enough to revive the White Lion."

"Wait, you're saying the White Lion is still out there?"

"The White Lion is a universal constant, like the yin and yang. It can't be completely destroyed. When I made my sacrifice, I woke up here. This is where chosen Alteans would face off against the White Lion. If they won, they would gain access to the secret knowledge hidden in this temple. So the fact that I'm here instead means that I have some part to play in this, but that was never the whole story."

Lance gasped. "It's like what Shiro said. We don't do self-sacrifice. All of us are important."

Allura sank to the ground sobbing. "How could I be so stupid?"

Lance crouched to her eye level, his heart aching. He wished he could pull her into a hug but he could only watch as she shook under the weight of her own guilt. He found himself crying too, but he tried to keep the tremor out of his voice.

"Hey, it's gonna be okay. Like you said, we can make things right."

"No, I said I could _try._ This is the biggest mistake I've ever made. I can't imagine how much I hurt you all, and for what? Because of me, your bond is so weak it's almost nonexistent. I can feel it."

Lance sighed. "I don't think you're the one who caused it. Ever since what happened with Shiro and Kuron, we started treating each other more like coworkers than family. And isn't that what Voltron is supposed to be? A family?"

Allura wiped her eyes and looked up. She had stopped crying, but still looked broken and tired. "So you agree, then. It's hopeless."

"No, no, no! If it was hopeless, the others wouldn't have agreed to come. There's still something of our old bond left. We just need to remember. The Lions are still out there, right? We can find them. We can fix this."

Allura took a few deep breaths. She sat up straighter, squared her shoulders, and Lance heard the authoritative tone return to her voice.

"My connection to Blue has never been as strong as yours, especially now that I'm stuck here. You were the one who really brought Team Voltron together. You need to be the one to reunite us."

"No pressure or anything."

"You did just fine all those years ago when you first met her, and you've only gotten stronger since then. I believe in you.

Her words filled him with determination. He took a breath and sat back, closing his eyes. Allura had taught him how to meditate once. He was never as good at it as she was, despite her insistence that it should be easy for him to clear his mind of all thoughts since he didn't have much to begin with. Nevertheless, he focused on Blue. He imagined the thrill of flying through space, shooting down Galra ships, saving planets from their clutches. When he was piloting Blue it felt like he was where he was meant to be.

He felt his consciousness being pulled through space. His stomach lurched and he nearly broke concentration, but he forced himself to focus.

Then he saw her.

She was surrounded by dark metal, eyes dim, metal plates spotted with rust after years of neglect. Evidently some spaceship had captured her. Alien beings milled around, some staring up at her, some going about their day.

Lance opened his eyes, though he still felt as though a string was pulling him in the right direction.

"I know where to find her."


	6. Chapter 6

Allura smiled.

"Excellent! Once you find Blue, finding the others should be easy. Then Voltron can defeat this darkness once and for all."

Lance opened his mouth to say something but a searing white light washed over him. He squeezed his eyes shut, opening them into darkness.

He was still standing, but his legs shook with nervous energy. He sank to the ground, burying his head in his hands.

The other Paladins raced to his side. He looked up and forced a smile to reassure them that he was okay. Then he explained everything that had happened.

Shiro grinned. "Right. All we have to do is travel the entire universe to find a few lions, and somehow form Voltron again even though it's been _years_ since we worked as a team. No big."

Keith slapped Shiro's shoulder. "That's the spirit!"

They headed back to the Atlas and set a course for the quadrant of space that Lance's intuition had told them.

* * *

Once inside, Shiro led everyone to the training room, where they sat in a circle. Lance was hit by a wave of nostalgia as he remembered sitting in a circle exactly like this in the Castle of Lions. Everybody wore headsets that projected their thoughts in the air for all to see. All Lance could think was _don't think of girls or boys or anyone just think of puppies_ until he could pull himself together long enough to focus on the image of his lion.

Everyone had brought their augmented-reality lions together to form the image of Voltron, but Pidge's lion kept flickering out of existence, replaced by an image of her lost brother.

Now, however, everybody wore an expression of calm focus.

 _Tell everyone to close their eyes and concentrate. Remember their bonds with the Lions and with each other, and search their feelings to find the remnants of that bond._

Lance nodded and repeated what Allura said. Then he obeyed himself, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. He wanted to see if he could get a more precise location for Blue.

He allowed the breath to fill his lungs completely, then exhaled, feeling the tension leave his body.

He remembered the first time he had met Blue. The cave with the carvings that glowed at his touch. The way the force field around her only opened for him. For the first time in his life, he had felt like he belonged somewhere. The feeling of a string pulling him through space only intensified. Though he couldn't say for sure exactly where she was, he knew what direction to head in.

He dared open his eyes to see the other Paladins frowning in deep concentration. Shiro's eyebrow twitched, and he muttered to himself, "Come on, Black. I know it's been a while but I need your help."

Keith dug his nails into his palms, fangs showing as he strained his mind.

Pidge squirmed as if she was going to jump out of her seated position.

Only Hunk looked like he wasn't about to snap. His face remained calm and neutral, until he jolted forward. His eyes flew open and he gasped for air, though he had been breathing deeply before.

Lance put a hand on his back. "You okay, man?"

Hunk sighed. "Yeah. I think so." He looked up with an awed smile. "Yellow talked to me! She… she actually…" he broke off, sobbing. He covered his face, but not before Lance saw him flush red with embarrassment.

"What's wrong," Pidge asked, concern raising the pitch of her voice.

Hunk sniffled.

"I… I just… didn't feel like I belonged here. I don't like space adventures. I don't like walking headfirst into danger. I like making people feel safe and happy. I felt like I couldn't really do that as a Paladin. So the fact that I'm still part of the team, even though I'm not built for fighting… I'm happy? But also worried? I don't want to fight again, but I don't want to feel like deadweight either."

Shiro wrapped Hunk in a tight hug. "You could never be deadweight."

Pidge joined the hug. "Yeah. We need you, Hunk."

Lance wrapped his long arms around everyone. "We wouldn't be Team Voltron without you!"

Keith rolled his eyes but couldn't stop the smile from spreading across his face. "Yeah, we would've starved if we had to rely on Coran's cooking!" He joined the hug, and Lance forced himself not to flinch as he felt Keith's arm around him. Apparently his longtime crush on Keith hadn't quite died down.

Hunk sobbed again, surrendering to the hug. For a long moment everyone surrounded him in silent support. Lance felt tears flow down his own face. For the first time since starting this journey, everyone felt like they were really on the same page.

Then Hunk sat up and everyone stepped back to give him space. He wiped his eyes.

"Thanks, everyone. I really needed that."

"I think we all did," Shiro said.

* * *

Lance sank into sleep, only to feel like he was sinking past his bed into a cold abyss. The darkness around him seemed alive. He heard Allura cry out behind him and he spun around to see her reach for him. Her outstretched fingers strained toward him and he reached for her, but as soon as their fingertips brushed she was consumed by tendrils of darkness. Her cry echoed through empty space. Flashes of images filled Lance's vision.

Allura staring into the containment vessel that held a dark entity. A piece of quintessence that moved as if it were alive.

Allura with darkness streaming from her eyes, stopping an arrow in its tracks.

Allura in the belly of one of Lotor's mechs, a crazed grin on her face as she destroyed a fleet of Galra soldiers.

Was it quintessence madness that had led Allura to her death?


	7. Chapter 7

The Atlas loomed over the pirate ship that held Blue. Though the ship itself wasn't exactly small, it was still dwarfed. So Lance was not surprised when it zipped away and they had to give chase.

Shiro and Coran worked together to steer the massive ship, while Pidge and Romelle fired low-power laser blasts to disable it with minimal damage and casualties.

The pulling sensation was almost painful now, as if Lance's heart was being ripped from his chest. He shifted his weight from foot to foot. The rest of the battle faded into background noise, as relevant as static on an old TV screen.

Finally the crippled ship was close enough to board. The Paladins suited up in battle-ready Atlas uniforms and were just about to enter the transport pod when Romelle ran up to them, frantically adjusting her own battle uniform.

Coran ran up behind her and grabbed her arm. "No! You are not going out there!"

Romelle spun around and glared at him, but her expression softened when she saw the look on his face. The fierce protective gaze of a father.

Lance realized that Romelle reminded Coran of Allura. He didn't blame Coran for not wanting her to get hurt.

He felt a pang of deep sadness from Allura. A yearning to reach out to him, to embrace him. Which would be a bit awkward for Lance to do, so he stayed where he was.

Shiro seemed to sense Coran's dilemma too. "Stay inside, Romelle. We need you here."

Romelle tore her arm out of Coran's grasp. "No. I'm stronger than all of you. Allura taught me how to fight. I'm not gonna be some damsel who waits around for the soldiers to return home."

Hunk put his hands on her shoulders. "I agree with Shiro and Coran. I don't want to put too many people at risk."

"Fine. I'll go in your place then. You don't even like fighting anyway."

Hunk's eyes darted as he thought. Lance could tell he was tempted.

Finally he said "No. I may not be a soldier but I'm not a coward either. You can come with us. I'll protect you."

Keith stepped forward. "Hold on. You're not making decisions for the whole group. I'm with Shiro on this one. The more people we have with us, the more things can go wrong."

Pidge countered with: "What about strength in numbers? As Paladins we were always stronger together."

Keith pinched the bridge of his nose. "Yes, but Romelle isn't a Paladin."

 _Neither was I at the start. I say she goes with you._

"Allura votes for Romelle to go. She says she wasn't a Paladin at the start either. And I agree with her."

With the team in a tie, they stood in tense silence.

"What's happening to us," asked Lance. "I thought we'd gotten back to normal but now we're fighting again. We shouldn't even be fighting about this. This is so stupid."

"What is 'normal' for us anyway," asked Keith.

Shiro sighed. "Fine. Come with us but stay close. We don't have time for this."

Everyone boarded the ship in chilly silence. Lance was left alone with his thoughts as he walked. Or as alone as he could be.

 _I wish I could just… scream! I mean I can, but only you would hear me. It's not worth it._

 _Want me to scream for the both of us?_

 _What, right now? Wouldn't that be a little weird?_

His attention was brought back to his surroundings by Keith nudging him with a sharp elbow. Shiro was meeting with the captain of the pirate ship. The deck was a vast open space filled with stolen technology. Some of it was partially dismantled as if it was being scrapped or studied. Lance wasn't sure which. But he could recognize Blue's silhouette in the dim light.

"We don't want any trouble," Shiro said. "You have something of ours. Please give us the blue lion and we'll let you leave. We'll even help you repair your ship."

"Like hell. Get lost before we throw you out the airlock."

"So be it." Shiro readied his prosthetic arm, holding a laser pistol in his other hand. "Lance, run for it. We'll cover you."

Lance nodded. He hung back as everyone surged forward. He dodged glowing energy beams as he raced across the deck, flanked by his teammates. Keith and Romelle stayed close to him. They watched his back while he set his laser rifle to "stun" and shot down pirates who appeared in front of him.

Finally he reached the other side of the room and stood in front of Blue. This close, he could see that pieces of her were strewn about the nearby worktables. His heart ached.

"Hey old girl," he said softly. "Can you hear me?"

He heard a low, annoyed, rumble.

"Whoops, guess I shouldn't make comments about a lady's age. Sorry." He sighed. "So, Blue. Ready for another adventure?"

He heard a rattling and spun around, watching as pieces of the lion lifted into the air and whirled around. Lance flinched, but none of the pieces came near him. Instead, they gravitated towards Blue, fitting into place with loud clicks. Her eyes flickered to life, bathing the room in a pale yellow glow. Then she brought her head down, opening her mouth to reveal a ramp.

It had been a while, and Lance was struck by how small he was compared to the massive lion. But he felt no fear as he stepped into her maw and made his way to the cockpit.

As soon as he sat in the seat, his vision was filled with Blue's memories.

The Lions, floating through space.

Dark quintessence consuming them.

A sick feeling as their bond decayed and broke.

Drifting through the cold, completely numb.

He could feel Blue's relief as she sensed the presence of the other Paladins. He choked out a sob, then wiped his eyes. "Come on, girl. No time to get emotional. We have a universe to save. Again."

He looked out the window to see that everyone had stopped fighting and was staring at Blue. The Paladins cheered.

Blue roared, the universal signal of "get out of my way or I will step on you," and suddenly they had a clear path to the larger airlock meant for ships. They charged across the room and flew into the vastness of space. Lance whooped, feeling like a kid again as he led Blue through a series of corkscrews and spirals.


	8. Chapter 8

A short while later, after Lance had gotten that out of his system, the Paladins were silently eating dinner. Coran and Romelle joined them.

Hunk stretched, popping a joint in his back. "I'm glad that's over," he said. "That's enough chaos for one day."

Pidge briefly stopped wolfing down her food to say, "I don't know, I thought it was cool!"

Shiro had barely touched his own meal. "I get what you mean, Hunk. It brings back bad memories. I hope we don't have to fight like that again."

Pidge's smile dropped and she put her fork down.

Romelle had a hint of a smile as she said, "I'm glad you allowed me to come along."

Keith nodded gratefully. "Yeah. You really saved my ass."

"Hey," Shiro said. "Watch your quiznacking language."

Romelle choked on her food as she laughed.

Lance smiled but couldn't bring himself to join in the laughter. He watched Shiro, who despite trying to lighten the mood still seemed lost in thought. He had never talked much about how the past few years had affected him. He had gone through the most out of all of them. For a long time Lance thought he was just that tough, that he just didn't crack under the pressure.

It wasn't until he started seeing a therapist and learning more about how trauma affects the mind that he realized how wrong he was. He had taken Shiro's strength and resilience for granted.

He knew now was not the time to talk about it, but he resolved to talk to Shiro at some point.

Coran spoke up. "I would like to apologize, Romelle. I was very overprotective. I know you are more than capable of fending for yourself. I completely overstepped my boundaries."

"It's okay. I forgive you," Romelle said. "I know this journey must be tough for you."

The rest of the dinner was uneventful, and soon everyone drifted off to do their own thing.

* * *

Lance lounged on a common room couch, a thousand thoughts whirling through his head. He felt the cushion move as someone sat next to him. He saw Hunk's stocky frame out of the corner of his eye.

"Hey," Lance said.

"Hey," Hunk replied. He stared at Lance for a minute, looked away, and sighed. Then he looked back over at Lance. "So… I've been thinking."

Lance smirked. "That can't be good."

Hunk's glare froze him in place. "Lance. This is serious."

"Sorry. Go on."

Hunk looked off into the distance again as he gathered his words. "Everyone came together to support me when I was upset, which was nice, but then immediately after that we started fighting. It's like… everyone's friends with me, and Keith is close with both Pidge and Shiro despite wanting everyone to believe he's a loner. Shiro seems to have adopted Pidge. But I don't think all five of us… are friends… with each other. If that makes any sense."

Lance nodded, imagining a broken web of connection between the paladins. They were loosely allied with each other, but not the family they used to be.

Hunk seemed to read his mind. "We used to be really close once. I think as we grew up, became our own people, got caught up in our own issues… we lost that. And I don't know if we'll ever get it back. Even if we still get together every so often, it's more like a class reunion than a group of friends. If Allura hadn't died, we wouldn't have anything tying us together at all. So… what's going to happen after we save her? If we save her? Is that it for us?"

Lance said nothing for a long while. It was kind of a relief to have his worst fears put so plainly into words, but he still didn't have a solution. Without any words of comfort to give Hunk, all he could say was, "I know exactly what you mean."

"Thanks. That helps. Really. I'm glad I can still count on you all when I need you. I'm friendly with a lot of people but I don't really have many close friends."

"I'm glad you're here too, Hunk. No matter what, we'll stay friends. Besides, you still owe me a rematch in Space Race II."

Hunk laughed. "You're just a sore loser."

"Am not!"


	9. Chapter 9

As they got up to go to Lance's room, where he had stashed his portable game system, Hunk froze with a thousand yard stare.

He blinked hard and shook his head. Without moving, he said "I know where Yellow is. I had a vague idea but now I know for sure. I think getting Blue back helped strengthen the connection."

"Awesome! Let's go tell the others!"

Hunk smiled. "Guess I'll have to humiliate you on Space Race some other time!"

Lance laughed. "In your dreams!"

They raced down the hallway.

Later, the Atlas warped to a Balmera. The planet-sized creature drifted lazily through the void of space. Hunk stepped onto the soft surface and felt a pang of nostalgia as he remembered the first time he saw one. One of his first missions as part of Team Voltron. Meeting Shay and the other Balmerans made the constant fear almost worth it. Being able to explore other planets and help people across the universe felt like his true calling.

Despite everyone's reassurances, he knew he was right to hang up the helmet. Still, he felt confident he could go on one last mission if it meant saving beautiful creatures/places like this.

Hunk led the way, following his instinct. Yellow's presence was so strong it was almost tangible. He was surprised the others didn't feel it.

He found her laying beneath an outcrop of blue crystals. It looked like she was sleeping, at least until Hunk noticed the small crystals growing all over her.

He walked up to her, feeling small next to such a massive robo-beast, but not scared. He placed his hand on her snout, feeling the cool metal that seemed to hum with magical energy.

"I'm here," he said.

Yellow light washed over him as her eyes lit up. She stood up slowly. Hunk staggered back, craning his neck to look up at her as she shook off the crystals. They sparkled in the sunlight and rained down on him. He covered his head with his arms to shield himself from the bigger, sharper ones.

"Hey, watch it!" he called up to her.

The lion rumbled in what seemed to be amusement.

The ground shook as Blue landed in front of Yellow, with Hunk standing between them.

Lance ran over, flailing his arms. "Hey, I didn't tell her to do that!" he said over the comms.

Hunk laughed. "I guess she was eager to see her friend again!"

Everyone else caught up with Lance and stared up at the two lions.

"I hope they're all this easy," Hunk said.

Pidge nodded, then flinched when the two lions whipped their heads around to look at her. Through Green's eyes she could see a blackened forest, an atmosphere covered in dark gray ash clouds.

"I think I'm next," she said.


	10. Chapter 10

Pidge froze when the image of Olkarion came into view. The first time she had seen the planet it was a vibrant green. The improbably tall mountain range that ringed the planet was full of color as the sun reflected off the vegetation and snow.

Now it was a dessicated husk. Everything was the same shade of gray. Drained by Honerva's quintessence-stealing mechs.

She blinked hard. Shook her head. No. Olkarion had been eaten by a Weblum. This was a different planet, equally devastated.

Still, it brought the memories flooding back. The Olkari had helped her forge a deeper connection with Green. She had gained a new appreciation for the ingenuity of nature after seeing how they lived in harmony with it. And now every single one of them was dead. A whole culture, wiped out because of greed and selfishness.

She shook with rage and grief. "We are not going there."

Shiro put a hand on her shoulder. "I understand how you feel. Believe me. But you're the only one who can revive Green."

"Why did she decide to come here anyway?"

Lance tilted his head as if he was listening to something far away.

"Allura says that without their bond, the Lions' quintessence drained quickly. They went into hibernation mode, like they were when we first found them. This was probably the first place Green could find."

It took all of Pidge's strength not to break down sobbing in anger.

When she had lost her family, she didn't rest until she found them, or at least their bodies. She found them still alive, and now her whole family was together again. It wasn't until the loss of Olkarion and then Allura's death that she had had to face true loss. The finality of knowing that the last time you saw someone really was the last time. It was a problem with no solution, a gaping hole that nothing could fill. And now she was faced with it again, like a monument to her failure.

She knew logically that there was no way she could have saved the planet, or her friend, but that didn't stop the feeling of failure from creeping in.

At least there was a way to help Allura. Even if it meant setting foot on a dead planet. Her goal was to find Green. All she had to do was focus on that and let the rest fall away.

"Alright," she said at last. "Let's get this over with."

She rode in Blue with Lance and Shiro while Hunk followed in Yellow. Romelle and Keith went with him. Pidge guided them towards the approximate location of Green. Then, being unable to see through the low clouds, they landed and disembarked.

Pidge stepped into the perpetual ashen twilight. The atmosphere hung from her like a lead blanket. The silhouettes of the bare trees looked like the legs of dead flies. She still heard the distant echoes of the lives that had been taken. She did her best to ignore them and instead followed the tugging sensation in her heart. As Lance had described, it was like a string pulling her in the right direction.

It led her to a hollow created by the roots of a fallen tree. Green was nestled beneath the roots. Her shape was visible, but she was completely covered in ash.

Pidge's hesitant footsteps became a steady march.

As she walked, the sun emerged from behind the clouds. She saw something out of the corner of her eye. A spot of color in the monotone gray.

She veered off course and kept her eyes on the spot on the ground, praying she wasn't just seeing things.

She motioned for everyone to stay back as she knelt down. She blinked hard, eyes pricking with tears, though she felt joy swell in her heart. She let out a sound that was like a laugh and sob combined.

A pale fiddlehead fern was peeking out of the ash, basking in the watery sunlight.

"I thought drained planets stayed dead forever," she breathed. Though she wore a helmet, she was afraid to speak too loudly in case she hurt the delicate plant.

"That's what I thought too," said Romelle. "It's a miracle."

The spark of hope in her chest was painful after the crushing grief of the past few hours. She didn't want to let it take hold. She was sick of being swept away by emotion. Losing her family, finding them, losing the Olkari, losing Allura, finding Allura… it was like being pulled in different directions every time she managed to find her footing.

She stood up straight and marched over to Green. When she brushed the ash off of the lion's nose, yellow light cut through the grime. Green stood, gray clouds of ash falling away. The rest of it was swept away by the wind. She stood proud despite the dingy surroundings.

Pidge stared at her, feeling at once like she was in a dream and like things were more real than ever. She had never thought she'd see the Lions again. Even though she'd seen both Blue and Yellow return, things hadn't clicked in her head until she was standing in front of her own Lion, feeling her connection to it returning. She didn't realize how much she had missed being a Paladin.

Then again, did she really want to return to that life? The only reason she had joined the team was to find her family, and she had accomplished that. She was happy with her life now. She didn't need to travel the universe to study alien technology, now that aliens were coming to Earth.

Now that there was no turning back, she felt trapped. Was this really a good idea?

Was she really willing to give up Green?

Green looked from Blue to Yellow. She got into a fighting stance, which confused the other two Lions.

"What's going on, Pidge," Hunk asked, stepping closer to her.

She stepped away. "You realize what we're doing, right? We're sacrificing the Lions. And we have no guarantee that will bring back Allura. We could end up losing _both, forever_."

Lance balled his hands into fists. "What are you doing? Why are you trying to back out _now?_ "

"I'm just sick of being yanked around!" Green roared to punctuate Pidge's words. "I'm sick of not being sure if everyone I love is safe! I've already lost my family once, and now I'm just… I'm always scared I'll… I'll lose them again!" She couldn't stop her voice from cracking.

Shiro came forward, wrapping Pidge in a tight hug, which she returned. She felt the other Paladins joining in one by one until she was nearly smothered. Shiro said, "Why didn't you say anything before? We could have helped you."

"I figured I didn't deserve to complain. I got my family back. Y- many others didn't."

Pidge knew Shiro had picked up on the word she almost said. She knew he was thinking about Adam. Still, he didn't give any clues about what he was thinking. "Even if it was temporary, you still felt what it was like to lose someone you love. Even if you got them back, that feeling was still real."

"Thanks, I really needed that. Now can I please _breathe._ "

The Paladins stepped away. Pidge wished she could wipe her face through her helmet as she felt tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Promise me you'll see a counselor when we get back to Earth. I can recommend you a good one."

Lance heaved a sigh of relief. "So you have been seeking professional help?"

"Yeah. I met my husband at a PTSD support group."

Lance was about to say something else when Pidge cut him off. She didn't want to stay on this planet any more than necessary. "Let's get going. We still have two more lions to find."

Keith stepped forward. "I know where Red is."

* * *

Author's Note: I forgot Olkarion had been eaten by the Weblum so I edited this chapter to fix that continuity error.


	11. Chapter 11

Lance was lounging on his bed, listening to music with headphones, when he saw movement out of the corner of his eye. Keith had opened the unlocked door and was leaning against the door frame, not meeting Lance's eyes.

"Can we talk," he asked.

Lance took off his headphones. "Uh, what about?"

"Just… in general." Keith gestured vaguely.

"O…kay? Why are you coming to me?"

"I thought you'd understand. You're like me. You can't seem to settle down anywhere."

Lance sat up straighter, surprised at the insight. He supposed he shouldn't have been surprised. Keith had always hung in the background, watching everyone. He probably picked up on many patterns before others did.

"Okay. Sure. Let's talk."

Keith sat in Lance's desk chair and Lance put his music player away, still sitting on the bed.

"So…" Keith started, leaning forward and staring at the ground as he collected his thoughts. "I realized something while I was caught in that time warp with my mom. And I think it might apply to the rest of the group as well."

Lance nodded, remembering the time when Keith had disappeared for a short while only to reappear having aged two years.

"My whole life, I've been focused on a mission of some form. Become a pilot. Find the source of the strange energy. Rescue Shiro. Be a Paladin. Learn about my Galra heritage. And I think I became so focused on achieving those goals that I forgot to be… me. I didn't slow down. I didn't stop to think about what each mission meant for me as a person. And I think that's true of all of us. We've been growing and changing in so many ways that we don't even know yet. We're different people now than we were when we first met. And we don't even know who these people are because we didn't let ourselves slow down."

Lance sat for a while, processing Keith's words. Suddenly, the disjointed thoughts in his head had a piece to connect all of them. He looked at Keith and their eyes met.

"Holy shit. I think you're right. That was… very deep." Then he blinked. Looked away. "Hey, whatever you're smoking, could you send some my way?"

Keith half smiled. "I'm just high on life," he drawled.

Then he sighed. "But seriously. I think that's why everybody's still all over the place. We're trying to make things be the way they were before, but maybe they won't be."

Lance nodded again. "And maybe that's okay. Maybe we can all be friends as we are now. It won't be the same because we're not the same, but we can still be there for each other."

"I'd like that." Keith smirked. "I wouldn't want to be friends with past you. You were such a jerk!"

Lance barked out a laugh. "I seem to remember you started most of our fights!"

"Wrong!"

"I don't think so!"

 _Gods, you two are acting like a married couple. Cut it out!_

Lance laughed. "Anyway, I think that thought is worth sharing with the rest of the group. I'm glad you trusted me enough to reach out."

"Well, like I said, I thought you'd understand what I was talking about." Keith got up. "I'll see you later."

"See ya," said Lance. He watched Keith disappear, then lay back on his bed, pondering what he had said.

Lance had been so focused on being a pilot, then on being a Paladin, but never really stopped to think about why. What drew him to it?

When he thought about his fondest memories, they were all about freedom. Flying Blue through space, a whole universe in front of them, nothing holding them back. Exploring new planets and meeting new people without any baggage from his past. It was why he never fit in at the militaristic Galaxy Garrison. Even on Team Voltron, the weight of responsibility had nearly crushed him many times. Not that he hated all responsibility, but being in charge of keeping the whole universe safe was a bit much.

 _I always got the feeling that you weren't entirely happy in Team Voltron as well_ , Allura said. _You seemed much happier on Earth. More like yourself. I think that's what made me fall for you. Or maybe it was the mere exposure effect. Yeah, probably that._

 _Ha ha,_ Lance replied. _So what do you think about what Keith said?_

 _I think he's right. He's gotten very wise since that time warp incident. I hope you all can find a way to reconnect with each other. Not just when one of you is in crisis, but all the time._

Lance's communicator beeped. Shiro had sent a message to the team saying that they were set to warp to Red's location. He sat up, heaving a sigh.


	12. Chapter 12

The planet that Red had chosen to hunker down on was volcanic. The oppressive atmosphere, full of toxic gases and hot enough to burn human skin, required EVA suits. As soon as the Lions got close enough to Red's approximate location, Keith disembarked, insisting on going alone.

Rivers of lava lit the ashen atmosphere a dull red. Even through the suit, he could feel the heat. He soldiered on, following the pull that led him to Red's hiding place.

He was led right into a maze of magma tunnels. Their obsidian walls reflected the outside light so that they looked like rubies. Further in, though, it was pitch black. He switched on his helmet-mounted flashlight.

The tunnels forked off into a neverending series of branches, but Keith walked on without pause.

"Are you sure you're not lost," Lance asked at some point.

"Patience, Lance."

"Right. Patience yields focus."

"Hey," said Shiro, "that's my line!"

Just then, the tunnel opened up into a massive cavern. It was lit from the top by a hole in the ceiling. There was a lava lake in the center with an island on which Red rested.

Keith activated his jetpack and sailed over the lake, landing on the island. Lava bubbles popped at his feet, spraying his EVA suit and peppering it with black soot.

Red's eyes lit up and she lifted her head at his approach.

"Hey, girl. Long time, no see. Ready for another adventure?"

He stepped into Red's mouth. A minute later, she let out a roar and sailed through the mouth of the volcano.

A jarring impact shook him to the bone. He blinked hard as his world spun. Red righted herself. Keith felt more than heard her low growl. He looked out the window to see Blue glaring at them, readying for another attack.

"What the hell are you doing, Lance?"

Before he could do anything, Red fired an energy beam from her tail at Blue. The other lion dodged gracefully, countering with a beam of her own. Red was prepared this time. She banked hard, cocking her tail, ready to go on the offensive if necessary.

"I'm not doing anything," Lance shouted, his voice shrill with panic. Blue charged forward, despite being peppered with bolts of energy from Red. The two collided again. Keith braced for it and absorbed the jolting impact. His hands shook as he struggled to regain control of Red.

"Well I'm not either," Keith said. "It's like the Lions are acting on their own!"

Pidge's voice came on over the comms. "We have to stop them before they kill each other!"

"Yeah," agreed Hunk. Green and Yellow arrived.

Red lunged forward again but was stopped short by Green blocking her way, weapons armed and ready. Red tried to dodge past Green to get at Blue, but the nimble Lion matched her every move.

"C'mon, Red, get a grip!" Keith growled. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to connect with her, but she remained stubbornly blocked off from him. He wondered if his newfound connection with Black meant that he no longer had the same bond with Red.

"Stop it, Blue! Red is your family! You can't do that to family!"

"Talk to me, Red. What's going on?"

Still nothing.

Then Red slammed into Green full-force, sending her spinning through the air as Pidge cried out in alarm. At the same moment, Blue dodged around Yellow.

The two hurtled toward each other.

Keith flinched as they collided and tumbled through the air. They broke apart. Green and Yellow joined the fight, and eventually Keith couldn't tell who was fighting who. Everyone was screaming. Metal scraped against metal. Energy beams whistled through the air. He was thrown every which way in his seat, struggling to hold on and not vomit. He waited for the shaking to stop before opening his eyes.

One of Red's paws was on Blue's chest. The other was digging into her throat. Sparks were flying where metal met metal. She was gearing up to blast Blue in the face. Meanwhile, Blue struggled beneath her weight. Yellow's jaws were around Red's throat, and Green was some distance away, tail poised to strike.

"Keith! Keith, do something!" Lance was really panicking now. Keith could imagine him scrambling to regain control. He stared in helpless horror.

"No!"

Hands became claws. His face burned where his Galra marks showed through.

Time seemed to slow. He knew he needed to keep a clear head to control Red, so he exhaled, feeling tension leave his body. As he did, he felt Red's rage, but also a flicker of fear.

"You're scared. What are you afraid of?"

Red backed away from Blue, allowing her to stand up. Blue backed away, tail twitching. Lance audibly sighed with relief.

Then Red's telepathic link to Keith overtook his senses.

Keith saw the Lions uniting, forming Voltron, and flying through a tear in reality.

Then, white light engulfed Voltron, and it disappeared.

The white faded to a vast expanse of stars. They winked out as darkness engulfed them. They were defenseless against its approach.

He blinked back to reality.

"You don't want to sacrifice yourself," he said. "None of you do. You want to keep fighting. You know the world needs you."

Everyone, including the Lions, froze at Keith's words. The fight broke up, all Lions standing in a circle, eyeing each other cautiously, while their pilots breathed a sigh of relief.

Lance asked Allura aloud, "Do you think there's a way to save the universe without sacrificing the Lions?"

There was a pause, then he repeated Allura's words. "I suppose it could be possible. But fixing this weak point in reality would require a tremendous amount of energy. If you can channel it without Voltron breaking apart, theoretically we could save everyone."

"Alright. No problem," Keith declared.

"Big problem," Lance said. "And that's both of us talking. Every time the universe is about to tear itself to shreds, we've had to give up something. The Castle. Allura."

"We have to try," Lance said. "The Lions are right. The world will still need Voltron."

Pidge sighed. "Coran, Romelle, Lance and I will study Altean alchemy. We'll see what we can come up with. Shiro, any word from Black yet?"

"Nothing."

"Don't worry. You were only able to connect with her when all the other Lions were brought together before. I'm sure she'll reach out to you soon."

"Yeah, about that… can I talk to you guys, when we get back?"


	13. Chapter 13

Author's Note: I've been made aware of several continuity errors. I haven't rewatched the show in a while so details are fuzzy and I wasn't aware of how fuzzy they were until now. I'll edit or revise this fic sometime in the near future, but I want to complete it first because I don't think the continuity errors will change the trajectory of the story overall.

* * *

The Paladins stood in a circle in one of the common areas of the Atlas. They were in a particularly empty part of space, and the stars were the only thing that could be seen through the window.

Shiro took a deep breath. He had never really confided in the other Paladins. He felt that, as the leader, he should be lifting them up, not dragging them down with his problems. But his therapist had been drilling into his head the importance of opening up and being vulnerable to others. His husband had been driving that point home as well, not leaving him alone if he sensed something was bothering him.

"So… Black and I bonded over our shared trauma. We were both used and abused by Zarkon. Every time I've tried to reconnect with Black, it feels like I'm revisiting that trauma. I've made a lot of progress on my mental health since then, but it's still hard."

"Shit," said Keith. "I had no idea."

"Don't push yourself too hard," said Hunk. "Your mental health is just as important as the mission."

There was a long moment of silence. Shiro saw the other Paladins' shocked expressions. He'd worked hard to make sure they took his strength for granted and could always come to him with any problem, and now he was the one who needed to come to them.

Pidge spoke up. "You and Black have been through a lot of difficult things together, but you've also healed together. You're stronger now than you were before. And neither of you are alone. Just like how the Black Lion needs all the other Lions to come together to form Voltron, you need all of us to support you. Leaders aren't supposed to be indestructible."

Shiro smiled. "When did you get so wise?"

Pidge half shrugged.

Keith was the next to say something. "Trust me, being the lone wolf isn't all it's cracked up to be. I lost myself when I let myself get caught up in my own head. I don't want to lose you the same way."

Lance said, "I struggled so much with insecurity when I was a Paladin, and you never lost patience with me or gave up on me. I was pretty much ignored by my family because there was so many of us, but you made sure I knew I was part of the team. I want to return the favor."

Finally, Hunk said, "When I thought I was going to lose my mind with fear, seeing how you got through all the terrifying things you went through, it inspired me to keep going. I know what it's like to be scared. I want to help."

Shiro noticed to his embarrassment that tears were forming in the corners of his eyes. "Damn you guys," he said, laughing quietly. He rubbed his eyes. Seeing that they were all on his side lifted a huge weight off his shoulders. "I'm so proud of all of you."

Shiro was standing with his back to the window, so when everyone stared behind him with wide eyes, he stared ahead in confusion. Lance pointed to the window, and Shiro spun around.

He staggered back when he found himself facing Black.

Behind him, everyone cheered.

"Alright," said Lance, "we're getting the band back together! Reunion tour, here we go!" A second later, teasingly: "No, _you're_ insufferable."

Shiro laughed. "I'm with Allura on that one."

Lance crossed his arms and tried to look offended, but couldn't keep the smile off his face.

Shiro turned his attention back to Black.

"Alright, gang. Let's save the universe. Again."


	14. Chapter 14

While Allura, aided by Lance, guided the Atlas to the tear in reality, Pidge, Romelle, and Coran studied Altean alchemy. Lance/Allura occasionally stopped by to help out.

During one of those times, when Lance/Allura and Pidge were deep in conversation, Romelle pulled Coran aside.

"How are you doing?" she asked. "This must be hard for you. You've been awfully quiet."

"Well, you know how short human lifespans are. All the humans are like kids to me. Even Shiro. Especially Shiro."

"Isn't Shiro like seven years old?" Romelle said with a laugh.

Coran continued with a small smile, "I'm basically watching these kids grow up. And I'm proud of them, but I wish Allura had gotten the same opportunity."

It broke Romelle's heart to see Coran so defeated. She had gotten used to his goofiness and boundless energy.

"I'm sorry I projected that onto you," he concluded.

"It's fine. I understand. I miss her too. Even if she's in Lance's head, it's still not the same."

"I hope that boy isn't being too annoying to her. The first sign of trouble from him and I'll smack him into another dimension!"

Romelle laughed. "I don't doubt it!"

* * *

Pidge and Lance/Allura headed back over to the Alteans.

"We found something," Pidge said.

Lance continued. "So you know how alchemy is all about give and take? Sorry- 'equivalent exchange.'" He did air quotes around the words. Well, it's not just about stuff. Energy can be part of that exchange too. Sanity, lifespans, magic can draw from all sorts of abstract things."

"And that includes bonds," Pidge said. "Sure, ionic or covalent bonds, that makes sense. But bonds between people and other sentient entities like the Lions. They can be used too."

Lance's excited smile faded. It was as if he realized what he was saying as he said it. "So… we can sacrifice… our bonds with the Lions… to save Allura. And the universe."

Romelle had seen firsthand how much the Lions had meant to the Paladins. Their connection to each other was strong enough to stretch across the universe, even after years of separation. It would definitely be strong enough to repair reality, but she couldn't imagine how great the loss would be to her friends.

"Welp," Pidge said, "time to break the news."

* * *

Three voices, in unison, shouted "What?!"

Lance winced. "Believe me, I know. I'm not happy either."

Hunk sighed. "Well, if it's between losing our connection to the Lions and losing Voltron completely, it's definitely the lesser evil."

Keith added, "Yeah, and we'd die eventually anyway. Our bonds would be broken then, right?" He glanced at Lance/Allura.

 _He's right._

Lance nodded.

Hunk whimpered. "That's really morbid, Keith."

"We're not really Paladins anymore," Shiro said. "We knew this reunion was only temporary."

"Still," said Pidge, "I didn't realize it was going to be _this_ final."

"Well then," Keith said, "if this is the last time we come together as Paladins, let's make it count."

* * *

Despite Keith's confident words, the mood was funerary as the ship approached the rift.

Space seemed to ripple around the weak point, which hadn't yet become a tear but soon would. The Atlas stopped short and the Lions continued alone, passing through and seeming from the outside to fade out of existence.

To the Paladins, the darkness of space gave way to a vast white void. Lance kept looking to either side of him, making sure everyone was close. The sight of his friends in their Lions beside him made him feel ready to face whatever lay ahead. They were the most powerful force in the universe. They had taken their frayed bond and rebuilt it into something strong enough to save the universe. Whatever happened next, they were in it together.

The Lions closed in on a speck of darkness.

As they got closer, they saw that it was writhing.

They slowed their pace, making sure to stay out of the creature's line of sight. The figure it was fighting with looked humanoid. It was hard to see, gray against the white background. Almost blurry.

Lance squinted and leaned forward, trying to make out the shifting shapes. Then, finally, they came into sharp focus and it was all he could do to not rush into battle right then and there.

A massive snake, as big as a python, was trying to squeeze the life out of Allura. She was on her back, her hands wrapped around its throat, narrowly managing to keep its dripping fangs away from her face.

They inched even closer, and Lance looked into the creature's face. Something about the sharp angles, the yellow eyes, they looked familiar.

Then the snake tore its attention away from Allura and locked eyes with Lance, and he knew.

Lotor.


	15. Chapter 15

Allura's face showed only grim determination, but Lance saw the glimmer of fear in her eyes, how her form flickered and became more transparent. She was losing. Lotor had somehow fused with the dark entity, and now he was a being that seemed to be made of pure dark quintessence.

When Allura saw the Lions, relief lit her face and renewed her spirit. While Lotor was distracted, she threw a solid left hook that sent him flying. He flopped to the ground like an old sock.

Then the puddle of darkness boiled and reformed as a massive eagle. It lunged for the Lions, who scattered in all directions as they dodged.

Lance plugged his bayard into its slot, activating Blue's sonic roar. It stunned the dark entity, allowing Pidge to hit it with vine bombs that trapped it in a thick web of vegetation.

The creature grew again, becoming a dragon that looked to be torn from the pages of a medieval fairy tale book. It roared at the Lions.

Red roared back, spewing fire into the dragon's mouth and causing it to flinch before tearing through its middle with her claws.

The dragon whipped its head around to attack Red, only to collide with Yellow head-on.

It dispersed.

The lions barely had time to regroup before it reformed as a swarm of birds.

Black swept through the swarm, dispersing dozens of birds with her razor-sharp wings. Then she circled her teammates, stopping in front of them, facing the swirling mass of darkness.

"Alright, team. Form Voltron!"

The five Lions flew in formation until they came together with a few fluid transformations and a flash of light, forming the massive humanoid mech.

Lance didn't even have time to see what the darkness was trying to become. Voltron had already dashed forward, slicing it in half.

 _Behind you!_

Something slammed into the back of the mech before Lance could begin to relay the message. He grit his teeth against the impact. Voltron fell to the ground, crushed beneath the foot of the kaiju.

Voltron struggled under the weight of the darkness. It seeped across the mech like a paint spill. Lance felt his energy and will being sapped away.

Why was he fighting so hard? For who? For all he knew, the Lions were the only force holding the retired Paladins together. Without their identity as Paladins, there was nothing to stop the group from drifting away. Lance would be alone again. And it would be even worse than before because he had gotten a taste of true friendship. True love. He didn't want to lose that. He wasn't ready. He would never be ready.

Meanwhile, Keith hung limp in his chair, fighting the urge to just fall asleep and never wake up. Why was he sacrificing so much for people who took so long to accept him? When he had left to join the Blades of Marmora it was like they didn't miss him at all, even though they welcomed him back with open arms when he came back. He and Red could go their separate ways.

Pidge shook with rage and sadness. Her bond with Green had opened her mind to the real secret behind the greatest technologies: connection. Inventions were never made in a vacuum. Human connection gave her inspiration and motivation that led her to discover new possibilities that continued to amaze her. If she lost this connection, would she lose that inspiration? It was better not to risk it.

Hunk trembled with fear. Always fear. Fear was constant for him, no matter what. But Yellow had made him feel safe enough to test his own boundaries and become more than he ever thought he could be. Yellow had even helped him protect and lift up others. Without his connection to her, would he still be as strong as he was now?

Shiro cried out as memories came flooding back to him. The capture. The torture. Being forced to fight. Being molded into the ultimate killer. Escaping, finding a place where he belonged, where he could make a difference, then dying and being replaced by a puppeted clone. He had lost his connection to Black and become helpless, relegated to the sidelines. Without his bond with Black, he was weak.

Then Lance remembered his days on board the Atlas during the mission, bouncing around between his former teammates, sharing jokes, playing video games, or sometimes just talking for hours. They wouldn't do that if there was nothing between them but the mission. Before they had even met the Lions, he was friends with Pidge and Hunk. Whatever had brought them together in the first place was strong enough to withstand this loss.

Then Keith remembered the look on everybody's faces when he returned. Even if they sucked at communicating, they had genuinely missed him. They were relieved to see him come back. So overcome with joy that they had gathered him in a group hug. Having so many people on his side was overwhelming, scary, but the closest he'd ever come to pure happiness. He could never abandon his team after that, and he knew Red felt the same way about her team. Because he cared about both, he had to do the right thing.

Then Pidge remembered how her family had helped her with her homework and various projects ever since she could remember. She would have failed out of school if it wasn't for their support. And when she was trapped in the Castle of Lions and had to take down a Galra invasion by herself, it was her love and loyalty to her Voltron family that encouraged her to keep going and find solutions. She searched Green's feelings and knew that the Lion was immensely proud of her for forming those connections. Through those bonds, Green's own connection to Voltron had grown stronger. Green was ready to keep learning and keep growing with her team by her side, and so was Pidge, even if it meant going their separate ways.

Then Hunk remembered how he had finally awakened Yellow in the battle to save Earth. He had been the first to connect to his Lion in the distance between the ship and where the Lions were hidden. His first day as team member, he never would have dared try that. He never would have been able to be calm enough to try. That was all him. If he stayed behind Yellow's shield all his life, he would stop growing. He was brave enough to solve problems without violence and without needing armor.

Then Shiro remembered when he stole Black's bayard from Zarkon's hands by passing through the astral plane with the Lion. They had done it together, but Shiro was the pilot. He was the one who made the jump. Black had followed his lead. He realized that as long as he had his friends by his side, he could face whatever came next. The people who had hurt him, the bad things that had happened, couldn't take away his ability to choose his own path.

With a chorus of shouts, the Paladins focused their will.

Light washed over them, driving away the darkness.

When Lance could see again, he was floating in the void of space. He thanked his lucky stars that Pidge had suggested they all wear the Atlas's EVA suits instead of their Paladin armor, in case this exact thing happened. They had been teleported out of the cockpits of the Lions when the rift had sealed. Now they were back on their own side of space, drifting between the Lions and what the dark entity had left behind.

Lotor's body.

Thankfully it didn't show any signs of the damage it had taken during their last encounter. The Galra prince was as Lance remembered him in life, except for the layer of frost that covered him.

Allura floated nearby, also unconscious, though she showed no signs of exposure to the elements. She was translucent. Lance could see the stars behind her shining through.

The Atlas loomed over them, and transport pods hurried to bring everyone inside.


	16. Chapter 16

Lotor and Allura lay in adjacent beds in the medical wing. Both, to Lance's surprise, were still alive, though their vital signs were faint. He and Coran stayed by Allura's side as she slowly regained consciousness. After he explained what happened, she sat up with a gasp.

"I'm fading fast. I can feel it. That dark entity, it can drain your very soul. It nearly did so with Lotor. Without me to use as a host, it latched onto him. He tried to control it, to use it, but he couldn't."

"So once again, he's the cause of all our problems," Lance said flatly.

"No. What he did was stupid, but no. There's always going to be darkness in the world, in some form." She looked up at Lance and Coran. "But, there's always going to be light too."

Lance wrapped Allura in a gentle hug, afraid to break her. She looked so fragile.

Allura leaned into the hug for a moment, then pulled away. Coran leaped forward, hugging her so tightly Lance almost intervened. Then he thought better of it. Finally, he let go, wiping his eyes. His mustache twitched as he sniffled.

"Do you remember Oriande?" Allura asked.

"Yeah," Lance said. Coran nodded.

"The place where I was standing, that's where the White Lion is supposed to test chosen Alteans. I was there in its place…" she trailed off, as if she wasn't sure how to finish the sentence.

"It seems like you're implying that you're the White Lion."

"That's what I'm trying to say."

"Why?" Lance asked, at the same time Coran asked, "How?"

Allura looked away, deep in thought. "There are certain universal constants. Darkness and light are two of them. And the White Lion represents light. Honerva thought she destroyed the White Lion, but she only weakened it. It needs a new vessel to regain its full strength. I was chosen to be that vessel."

"So what does this mean?" Lance stood up and started pacing, running his hands through his hair. "I rescue you only to watch you die again? Is this some kind of cruel joke?"

Coran launched into a lecture at such a fast pace that Lance couldn't even hear what he was saying.

"No," Allura said sternly. "Listen." Lance stopped pacing and crossed his arms tightly, afraid to even look at Allura. Coran reluctantly stopped talking.

She continued. "The fight with the darkness took a lot out of me. I need your help, Lance, to regain my full strength. When that happens, I'll… ascend. I'll become the new White Lion. I'll still be _me,_ just… as the White Lion."

Coran considered this. "So… you'll live in Oriande?"

"Yes. You'll still be able to see me. I'm not leaving. Just… moving away."

Coran crushed Allura in another protective embrace.

"I'll be fine," she choked out, patting Coran's back. "As long as you don't break my ribs."

"Well I never got to say goodbye before! I have to make up for that!"

"You already have," she said, still struggling to breathe. "I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry."

"Don't you dare apologize," Coran said. "You did what you thought was right."

They broke apart after a long moment, tears brimming in their eyes. Everyone paused for a moment, collecting themselves.

Lance sighed.

"So you're becoming some sort of lion goddess. That… can't be good news for whatever we have between us."

Allura cast her eyes downward, staring at the white blanket somebody had draped over her. "I'm sorry. To be honest, though… we were both really young when we decided to start dating. Perhaps we went a little too fast anyway."

"I'll say so!" Coran said.

Lance glared at him. "We were in a war. We didn't know if tomorrow would be the day we died."

Allura held out a placating hand, trying to prevent an argument between the two. "True. Still, things were really confusing back then. Maybe starting a new relationship wasn't the wisest decision."

Lance stepped closer to Allura and placed his hand over hers. "I don't regret a second of it." He looked at her, willing her to meet his gaze. Finally she looked into his eyes, and he saw a vast sea of emotion that he couldn't begin to comprehend.

"Nor do I."

They shared a tentative kiss. Allura brushed her hands across his cheeks where the Altean markings were. Coran hacked up a lung an the two pulled apart.

"When I gave you those marks, some of my abilities also were transferred to you. That includes my ability to heal. You must use this now, or I'll fade away completely." She gently placed his hands on top of her head. "Clear your mind and focus on the quintessence running through your body and the body of every living thing."

Lance did as she suggested.

The air hummed with energy. Even through his closed eyes, Lance thought he could see the purple-white threads of quintessence that connected the universe. That connected him to Allura. He willed his own energy to flow into her, restoring her.

Bright light flooded his senses and he blinked his eyes open in a daze.

Where Allura had been sitting, there now sat a massive lioness. She had Allura's pink markings. Her tail was tipped with a flowing white plume much like her hair. Her fur was a dark silver that sparkled in the glow of light that perpetually surrounded her. Allura's clear blue eyes stared back at him. He knew she was right. She was still there, just in a different form.

She rose to all fours and Lance stood. He was sure he hadn't blinked since opening his eyes, but he didn't feel like blinking now.

Coran put a tentative hand out and Allura bumped it with her nose. He placed his hand on top of her head and she smiled up at him. "I told you I'd be fine. Now, there's something I must do."

The lioness leaped off the bed like water flowing down a slope. She seemed to flow across the room as she made her way to Lotor.

Then she put her front paws on Lotor's bed and pressed her nose to his forehead.

He coughed and spasmed. Then he sat up, clutching his chest and head.

When he settled down, he opened his eyes. Gasping, he scrambled back in the bed, eyes locked on Allura.

"It's me," said the lioness. Her voice had a slight echo to it, as if it was coming from far away.

"Allura?! Is this a dream? A dying vision?"

"No. You're very much alive. And I'm real. I've become the White Lion."

"I thought my mother destroyed it."

"The White Lion cannot be destroyed. Just as the dark entity cannot be destroyed."

Lotor shuddered. "So it will be back."

"Most likely. It has a connection to both of us, and it has its sights set on Voltron too."

The former Galra prince forced himself to look at the White Lion. "I'm sorry. I was stupid. So stupid."

Allura hung her head. "Yeah. You were. More than that. You were cruel. Insane. Drunk on power."

"Yeah. I get it. And those very things left me vulnerable to the darkness."

"It latched onto me too. Perhaps I was blind to my own flaws. Let's both get better."

Lotor smiled. "Let's."

"Wait, wait, wait," Lance said. "Are you really trusting _him?_ After all he's done to you?"

"No," Allura said. "But I'm giving him a second chance. He deserves that much. He faced consequences for his actions and now he's willing to change. He deserves the chance to step out of Zarkon's shadow. As do I. I don't want to be remembered as a victim."

"I never thought of you as a victim," Lance countered.

"I knew there was a reason I tolerated you," Coran said, patting Lance's shoulder. "Allura, since you've been put under my care, I've been constantly amazed at your strength and resilience. You've always had the weight of the world on your shoulders, but you let it make you stronger rather than break you down. I couldn't be prouder if you were my own daughter. So if you see something worth redeeming in Lotor, I'll trust you. But it will take me a long time before I trust him."

"I'll stay out of your way," Lotor assured him. "Or, if you'd prefer, you could keep a close eye on me."

"Maybe you should talk to Keith," Lance said. "He's the leader of the Blades of Marmora now. I'm sure he could find something for you to do."

"Ah. Good for him."

Allura headed for the door. "Well, this is gonna be interesting to explain to the others."

* * *

Another chorus of "What"s mixed with some creative profanity greeted them until Allura was able to explain what had happened. Lotor stood behind her meekly, flanked by Lance and Coran, who were ready to stop the seemingly inevitable fight. It seemed to Lance to be a small miracle that everybody kept their heads on straight. Probably they were too shocked that Allura was the White Lion.

When everyone had quieted down, Lance whistled a low tone, impressed that he had survived this strange journey. "So… now what?"

Keith squinted at him, cocking his head. "Hey, did anyone tell you that your Altean markings are gone?"

Lance put his hands to his cheeks. "They are? Huh."

Allura nodded slowly. "I figured that would happen. Our magical connection is broken since you used all that energy to revive me."

"Aw man. I was just getting used to them. I thought they were a good look for me, don't you?"

Allura laughed politely, covering her mouth with a paw. Coran shook his head no emphatically.

Shiro smiled. It looked like a massive weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Even with the white hair, he looked ten years younger.

"Voltron will live on. Others will take our place. As for me, I look forward to a long retirement with my husband and about twenty cats."

Keith smiled. "No lions, right?"

"Oh, no!"

"Well, I guess I have a new Galra to babysit."

Lotor pouted at him.

"You all know what I'm doing," said Hunk.

Pidge rested an elbow on his shoulder. "Same here."

Keith leaned toward Lance and whispered in his ear, "Yeah, I know what they're doing alright!"

"Quiet, you."

Keith spoke up loud enough for everyone to hear. "What about you, Lance? Back to the simple life on the farm?"

"Actually, I'm thinking about packing the bare essentials and going on a bit of a road trip. I've explored the universe, but I haven't explored much of Earth."

Pidge crossed her arms, smirking. "Well I for one am not listening to your inevitable folk album."

"You know you will!"

"Ha!"

* * *

A short while later, Allura said her goodbyes, going to each crew member and embracing them. Shiro stayed in the back and was the last one to speak to her before she returned to Oriande.

"So… while you were in the astral plane, did you happen to see…" he said, his voice barely a whisper.

"Yes. I saw Adam. He wanted to tell you that he's happy you found someone you could spend the rest of your life with."

"I wish he were still here. I wish we had gotten the wedding we were planning before I left. I'm happy with Curtis, but I don't think I'll ever stop missing Adam."

"He misses you, too. You'll meet him again when the time comes."

"Thanks. That really helps. Although I hope I still have a long time yet. As much as I miss the way things were before, my life now is still worth sticking around for."

* * *

Romelle stood at the command console of the Atlas next to Coran.

"So I guess it's up to us now."

Coran nodded. "I hope the next generation of Paladins are more competent than the last."

The ship drifted into the void, heading for a faraway planet.

* * *

A month later, Lance sat on a warm rock overlooking a mountain range. He had hiked to the top of the mountain almost nonstop and was procrastinating on making the long journey back down. He took a picture of the sunset and sent it to the group chat, then put the phone down with a happy sigh.

Since their last mission, the former Paladins had stayed in touch a lot more, promising to meet multiple times a year to celebrate shared holidays. His fears that their bonds with each other would be lost along with their bonds to the Lions hadn't come to pass. Instead, though everybody remained focused on their own lives, they found themselves circling back to each other. A few messages in the group chat, a few two or three-person meetups when their paths crossed. Though they didn't talk constantly, Lance felt their presence even here.

Saying goodbye to Voltron for the last time had felt like saying goodbye to a world that had been his home for so long. But here before him was a new world with new adventures. New trouble to get into. And if Lance knew one thing, it was how to get into trouble. It had worked out pretty well for him in the long run, after all.


End file.
